Moline

Another Party

Do you know this: One of your children is having a birthday party at some time of year (like every year, come to think of it). And as a mum like me I keep planning and planning what to prepare, how to decorate and what kind of cake to try out and figuring out nice give aways. I love doing this beforehand. but the nearer the date comes I go into hibernating and sit there motionless and think: how shall I cope with everything I planned?

This year was a bit easier. Jakob turned 6 and wanted to host a Red Party. With Valentine's day right one day after his birthday I thought of all the hearts and cute things i could incorporate but he - grown up and manly as he is- allowed only some hearts and added also Blue to the theme. So that was what came out as an invitation: 

1. lazy days of summer, 2. J, 3. Untitled, 4. Cherry Red Shoes {Happy Bench Monday}, 5. Scrabble Letter A, 6. FR-11475, 7. Strawberries & Cream bunting banner, 8. you have my heart, 9. K, 10. Turkish flag, 11. valentines baking, 12. ♥, 13. O, 14. Bird Houses on a Red Barn, 15. Bullfinch, 16.schreibmaschine_brief_gr, 17. Yummy Cushions, 18. B, 19. Clip Magnet - Red 2, 20. alphabet, 21.advent calendar, 22. In Jakob's kitchen - closeup, 23. Jakob, 4 months old, 24. Korea Post

And then I became ill two days before. Not ill but I had a Hepatitis A injection preparing for our move and that just knocked me out completely. So I stayed in bed an thought how I possibly could reduce all the preparational stuff. 

So half of the decorating and an easy give-away. Don't tell me I could have prepared everything earlier before I got ill. NO WAY! That is just so not me!

Streamlined it looked like this: 

Even Jakob's hippo couple had a small party going on

The cake was kept simple as well but I really like it like that! he was simply happy about the little bunting and his beloved baby hippo...

To have some nice give-aways for the next day for the parents we took a picture of each child attending under the little garland, looking through a frame. And because all the children were dressed in these colours we had some nice pictures and a sweet group photo. 

So definitely I will do a colour themed birthday again if the children want one. And I won't make a fuss over the cake like I always did, because the simple one was equally liked. As a give away we had some treats in a red and white and blue paper bag with ribbon, a heart ballon and a Birthday cd I had burned for them the last night and packed with red and blue scrapbooking paper - voilá!

So I now can relax for a week and then there will be a belated Alice in Wonderland-party and a party for a 10 year old.... Wait and see

Wisching you a wonderful week!

Yvonne 

 

And there we are in 2011

Wishing you all a wonderful new year with lots of fabulous things to come.

We had a lovely Christmas with the grandparents and last week we started packing things away to make room for a fresh start. 

We had a different palette than the year before and I went all coulour with Pink and Turquoise and Green and Purple (well, the last combo is not that surprising in our home...).

That is what I planned after seeing it on Flickr: 

1. Red and aqua Christmas, 2. holiday journal, 3. pink snowflake, 4. Bottlebrush Trees, 5. Shabby Chic Aqua Bottlebrush Trees 2 550, 6. {344/365 2010} December Eleven ~ The Four Snowmen, 7. Pastel Snowflake Cookies, 8. Untitled, 9. love these ornaments, 10. Candy cane bokeh, 11. It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air., 12. Holiday and Special Occasion Cakelets, 13. Target Tuesday: Holiday Colors, 14. red and aqua, 15. Tally Ho, 16. PolkaDotsAholic !!

Something Pastel and something with a vintage touch. At least I was that daring in the hall and put up some branches with ornaments in these colours:

And then I made another mosaic using Aqua and Red. After I had painted the kitchen wall all the Silver and White did not seem right so I went for this:

1. Christmas House, 2. 365 day 109, 3. Fürs Fahrrad, 4. We're ready: Gifts are wrapped., 5. all stitched!, 6. candy shop, 7. Spot the odd one, 8. Red and aqua Christmas, 9. Powerful pomegranate, 10. 32, 11.Galison, 12. Cookies, 13. Gearing Up for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics!, 14. Ruby's Corner, 15. i love you kitten, 16. Decorated Snowflake Cookies

 

And that is how it came out ( a tamed version, due to the lack of things to put in these colours)

And believe me or not: These decorations really brought a smile on people's faces because of the colour choices. Maybe because it is not the usual Red and Green packed with so much tradition but a bit more playful. I will definitely stay with this this year!

The packing away really is not the fun part of it. I so not like to store things away so they end up piling on our table for some days. Partly because I have to get going to really start this business and partly because it looks so nice when just stacked into a pile. And I remember last year, when it all looked so nice on the table as well.

This one is by far my favourite: The Pink and The Blue and  the newly painted crates behind the ornaments (a new project for 2011)

So the next days will be for adding some hints of snowdrops and first Green and Whiteness to the house. My little helper is already preparing something: 

I will not talk to you about New Year's resolutions here. The've been rarely kept so far  - I promised myself just to do things and we've already started here... So there will be a lot more of some things and less of some other things!

See you soon !

Yvonne

 

 

 

 

A friend's house getting ready for Christmas

Hi again! As promised I will now share some pictures I took yesterday at a friend's house. I've been loving her way of creating a warm welcoming atmosphere for visitors ( and for the people who live there, of course) for quite a while now. You will never be at our friends house without a candle being lit or some extra special sweets laying around in beautifully arranged containers, jars and on plates. She always makes the extra effort to make guests feel special.

I like how there are twinkling lights everywhere to make the White warm and cozy

And if there weren't three young children and a dog running around at our house I might fancy putting our cerials and biscuits in jars like this as well...

There are also children at our friend's house but they are teens and the dog is not our hairy smelly and drooling kind of dog (sorry George, I love you but you are like this!)

And you now find me here thinking of a place to hang a wooden wreath like this!

I'll leave you with the pictures and going to bed right now to be ready for tomorrow's challenges: snow shovelling in front of the house, baking, cooking, present making, knitting up unfinished pieces, sewing some things, sending out mail - you name it. 

I hope you are extremely busy enjoying the Season out there! 

Feel yourself warmly hugged and twinkle on!
Yvonne 

"You really got me!"

Christmas mood really got me now. The children are exited and happy about the snow and the twinkling lights and biscuits everywhere and their exitment also gets me into the mood for the Holidays.

We have been crafting and baking and reading from our Christmas book basket and now we try and enjoy just looking at all the beauty around. 

I simply had to make some Christmas mosaics: one in lovely pastel hues and one with cardinals and winter berries. Thanks to all the talented people who made this possible!

I'll be back later today with some warm and wintry pictures of a friend's house I photographed yesterday! Please make sure to come back not to miss it. She has such an eye for warm and romantic settings!

Yvonne

 

December

Really? Already?

Well at least I promised myself to have the vast amount of presents ready by the end of November and I really did good this year! So there is just this mass of unfinished sewing, stitching, knitting and crocheting projects to handle. I thought it would be easily accomplished whilst drinking tea in the afternoons, looking at a lovely decorated house.

BUT: We decided to have our basement made in November and there is still work to do. Work is not the problem but the dust from smoothing redstone walls... So can you imagine the thin layer on my Holiday decoration EVERY DAY? I decided not to give in. My wonderful husband appreaceated me not howling all day at him about that and he has been a wonderful cleaner and duster for the last weeks whenever he was at home. Kudos for that my love. I sometimes could only cry looking at the mess. 

But I winterized the house anyhow because I could not wait.

The studio was first to get some wintery touch because I got a sweet book from Alina and I had to make place for it on my thrifted shelf when checking on the tree collection. I already have a lot of trees but I think when it comes to trees, bottlebrush or soft variety - one can never have enough. So i will be making more of them. This time also in fancy colours like vintage christmassy Aqua, Pink and Green...

The weather is a great help this year setting up the scene in lovely Whites. Jakob was busy singing "Schneeflöckchen, Weißröckchen" again this year. And it so helps with the snow!

I was also checking on last year's decoration and opted again for the White and natural version for the main floor.  I just love when it is silvery and sparkly. That really means festive to me!

So pinecones, glass, silverware and my beloved birdies again!

And no way I would give up on this tree idea this year. We had one last year and it made the patisserie-corner like we call it so much more festive I had to go out and find a new branch to set up the birdie tree this year. And putting the IKEA sheepskins on the chairs makes all the difference. I am fancying some grey curly ones for the black leather sofa to make the living room corner cozier. All I  need to do is head to IKEA with a zillion other people for Christmas shopping!

And these windows: I love them all year long, white marble and light as they are. It is a pleasure to decorate them according to the seasons and I am happy to have a lot of them.

The rest of the house will have more colour but I really need a calm and white center of the house. I will go all Pink and Purple in the bedroom again, Green in the living room corner where the tree collection is and Red in the hall. Just wait and see. All I have to do is getting rid of the orange dust coming up from the basement. That will stop tomorrow and then the decoration can begin all over the place and I will take you with me.

And because we will be moving soon I am documenting this month in a double workshop I also took last year: Ali Edward's December Daily and Shimelle Laine's "Journal your Christmas". I will be showing some pages soon!

Have a great start into the season! I am off now to having some Assam tea, homemade biscuits and 40 minutes of "Brothers and Sisters" on DVD before the evening hub stars - pure bliss: me on the sofa with tea and knitting needles - uninterrupted for nearly an hour...

See you soon!

Yvonne

 

 

House tour - the entrance

Ok, the issue of the photo storage is still not solved but this is mainly because I cannot get me started sorting through them. So maybe I should show the rest of the house instaed before we are packing everything in and moving away. I am very exited and looking forward to our new adventure the beginning of next year. And then there will be another place to set up and permanently redecorate.

So this is where you will be greeted  (just in case you were visiting) by three children, a smelly dog and mostly me.

On the left hand side there is a chest of drawers holding all the things you might need going outside: shawls, mittens, hats, sunglasses, keys, hand cream, dog collar, you name it!

And above that a collection of prints and handmade displays I am happy to look at every day. It is a nice welcome and Good Bye as well for me.

On the right hand side there is a collection of Black and White Photographs that have been with us for ages now. Sometimes I add some flowers or other seasonal items

And then you are inside and there is a lot to see because we surround ourselves with things that remind us of our lives and of friends and places.

You will find ephemera from Istanbul and Mexico and from friends and contacts from all over the world. We are hanging them there because it is a traffic zone in our house and so we are able to see them more often.

To the right there is a peek into the guest room and guest bathroom . this is not totally correct because Pauline moved into the guest room recently so there is another thing that shall be updated soon...

And to the left there is my studio ( cannot be shown due to messy state it is in -like always) and Moritz' room.

And on the ajacent wall you can spot the Harem door from The Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, a column from Braga in Portugal, a birdie from Geninne that flew in from Mexico ( they really keep accumulating here!), a vintage postcard from istanbul and lovely paper from October Afternoon.

And what I really like is that there is either light from the front or from the back of this house. here you can see the view into the garden and the place where the children are throwing their things instead of putting them into the baskets I provided underneath the bench...

And this is by far the happiest wall in the entrance area. red is not my colour but I tried to go for it a bit this time and I am happy with the result.

And the last step will be into the garden to have a cup of tea and maybe a book, a mag, or to just sit and talk and crochet your time away...

The next days will be busy again with some painting, knitting for dollies and taking care of the family and putting some extra love in the meal making because of Halloween and Dia de los Muertos. How I miss these colourful days in Mexico. But I will get out our stautes and get some flowers and at least make a small altar for the loved ones.

And the house tour will continue and maybe I will finally be through with it before we are heading East in February. 

Have a wonderful day and come back soon, please!

Yvonne

Hello again!

To be honest: we've been hiding here in our house and felt everything was too much. We needed a bit pure family time and not so much socializing. That included the blog life, too I think. We spent time together at home, had some crafty project and were also idling along reading, cuddling, napping, cooking and going for walks.

The house shall be prepared for fall and the upcoming season within the next months but I am a bit reluctant this year to let the Orange in and prefer to have it more neutral. There is so much colour in front of our house with all the trees that we keep it lighter inside.

The summer things have been tucked away and we already had the crazy shopping-for-winter-and-fall-for-three-fast-growing-children-tour! It always takes my breath away each and every year!

The lazy old dog is doing what he always does: just watching the scene. Here from the top of the stairs, thinking twice if he should make the effort of going downstairs because ii is still not clear of the other family members just changed floors or are REALLY preparing to go outside. Nowadays at his age he has to think twice before moving a paw...

And guess what: they really seam to just wander around the house without any sign of going for a walk so a long yawn was the comment:

I am also going through our pictures. before the move I want to decide how to store them. i mean the REAL paper ones, not the digital ones. We have a lot of them in albums and they take a lot of space. Some are in boxes and some in their envelopes. We love to sit and look at them from time to time so putting them in envies and boxes would be handy to take some out and look at them somewhere else. I am thinking of putting them all in lovely envelopes and in boxes and stack them up neatly. Any ideas how to handle these vast amounts of pictures besides putting them in albums???

Looking forward to hearing some ideas and solutions!

Yvonne

 

 

 

 

The forest room in progress

Some news from our room change road test. We nearly managed to rearrange all three new rooms but only Jakob's room is presentable right now. It is a work in progress because we've been pondering on the idea of a forest themed room for a while and I've been even thinking of one of these WOW forest wallpapers like we had back in the 70th or so but that would really have been a bit too much before the move (AND I am not quite sure if I could talk my husband into it...)

So we've been collecting old fruit containers and wine boxes and printer's trays for a while and they keep piling up in our basement to be hung one day in Jakob's room instead of a lot of IKEA shelves. But to be honest: I nearly broke down carrying all this stuff from one room to another during the last two weeks and painting boxes and drilling into walls would have been too much even for me. So we just went with some nailed alternatives (don't you tell my husband the boxes and baskets are just nailed to the wall!!!)

And because I am not a person who easily meets deadlines I forced myself and my luck and strength and invited Jakob's friends over for a housewarming tea. And believe it or not: The room was ready the minute they arrived and I just had to hide nails and hammer behind my back.

 

We are happy with the results so far and it is a good road test to try it out now and make it better when we will be moving to our new home (whenever that will be)

We neatly arranged his collection of forest critters and books and ephemera.

He got some sweet new nooks to play and work and dream and he never spent so much time in his room before. And the best thing: He is keeping it tidy now! What a change!

And I love to visit him there for a chat or for reading together.

Sometimes I think it is more than perfect to have three children and one can be so selfish to force upon them all the children's rooms one ever wanted for himself... 

So yes, it is me who wants this permanent change and loves all the playfulness that come with it. And I read that it is necessary to really change the children's rooms every other year to let them grow and not keep them as toddlers or babies all the time. We've been sorting out toys and books and Jakob kept telling me: "I don't need this any more: it is more for babies!". So he feels it and I am on one side proud and sad on the other for the times that passed. But seeing them grow and flourish makes up for all that.

So, after being that sentimental I am off for another Monday night of politically uncorrect Boston Legal on TV and a Single Malt! And having said that now please tell me your secret TV vices and be honest: What are you watching on TV whilst crafting and what is your drink? Normally it is tea and sweets but on Mondays you will find me with bespoke Single Malt and some pistacchios...

See you soon with more rooms to show and some crafty things

Wishing you well and Cheers!

Yvonne

 

Stairway to happiness

What made you happy these days? For me it was a scene like this: 
I told him to take the book downstairs and found him a few moments later having only climbed half of the staircase with the book in front of him, flipping through it and looking at the images. I am so so happy all of our children are interested in books and magazines. And if we are really lucky they will be turning into readers. It looks that he is on his way. When I read a version of a fairy tale to him this evening, he remembered the fairy tale from another book with another illustrator and immediately fetched it to compare the images inside the book. He is a little investigator (what also means screwing loose every possible screw in our house within his reach without telling us - one also has to face the downsides when showing off with your kids...)

But this scene is quite something for my mother heart and makes me forget all the fights we have over non essential things and the tantrums he can throw. 

And a picture of our decluttered bedroom also can make me happy.   

There is still a nightstand missing for my side, a few more framed photos and the newly crocheted blanket. But it already looks nice and peaceful to me.

And last but not least these little critters put a smile on my face:   

1. Step 1: Get nuts; Step 2: Take over forest; Step 3: Take over world, 2. Nutfield's master plan for world domination, 3. An Unfair Gift Exchange, 4. Weighing the pros and cons

I discovered Nutfield, Swindleton and Prescott today and it reminded me of how much I love tiny crocheted and knitted creatures. It would be so nice to have some of them living in our house (best thing in Jakob's new forest room). You can find more of the critters in TADA's revolution's set of  Amigurumis

These are only three of the things that made me happy. You see, it can be everything and everybody.

Maybe I post some more happy things tomorrow and if I am very lucky, the sun comes out and gives enough light to take pictures of Jakob's new room!

Have a wonderful Sunday with people and things and animals you love!

Yvonne

Just in case you were wondering....

...what we have been doing lately....

Well, I spent a lot of mum-and-me time with Jakob because he started preschool at his kindergarden and now feels like he has grown so much. I cannot believe it that the third child of ours will start school next summer. it seems like yesterday that they were toddlers (well how old sounds that?)

..

So we've been strolling through the neighbourhood with an occasional coffee break now and then. I love sitting with him in our cobblestoned streets, having a snack and a drink and read something to him or play a game of cards or so.

And our No. 2 also finds that she has grown a lot AND that she has outgrown the shared room she was in with Jakob until now. An nearly 8 year old girl is not amused when the 5 year old brother is always listening to her cds and seldomly puts them back, not to mention the mess he makes in his and her room (he calls it playing). So we decided to redistribute the rooms again. Jakob will move into Markus' office, Pauline into the guest room and Markus office will be under the roof with an annex for guests. Pauline is so exited to move to the ground floor and share it with our No. 1. An Jakob will enjoy the cozyness of his room next to ours. 

The decision was easy but then: Markus shelves were too high for the rooms under the roof. So we had to open another battlefield and Moritz had to give him his Expedit in exchange fo Markus' Bonde...

 

Good and bad for Moritz to go through all his stuff again and think of all the things he could give away or throw away if no longer useful or broken.

 

The problem is: To get the furniture from one room to the other you have to first remove everything into another room.

 

 
 
 

 To be honest: I cannot lift any more carton with books and folders and I need a day off. 

It is always so great to redecorate the rooms anew if it wasn't for the books to be carried around.

These are the before/in-between pictures - see more in a few days. I will show room after room!

And of course I will also be painting! Is it weird to do that shortly before moving? I don't think so. Sprucing up a room, adding or taking a way things and adding a new colour always brings so much happiness and new energy (and mum of three can go through all the stuff and think of donations for friends, the kindergarden, things for the flea market and ebay perhaps.

So you see me everyday covered in paint and up to my knees in paper and stuff

See you!
Yvonne